Screw press and shredder apparatus



NOV. l5, 1966 A, H BURNER SCREW lPRESS AND SHREDDER APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed NOV. l2, 1964 mm R R mm@ RM VU m B H./ E Dn D. NM AMM OOOOOOOOO o oo\oofoo oo oo o OOOO OOOOO OO o O 6.5 o @..o 0 o s Tea ATTORNEYS Nov. 15, 1966 A. H. BURNER 3,285,163

SCREW PRESS AND SHREDDER APPARATUS Filed Nov. l2, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG -3 50 el I NVFNTOR.

ANDRE H. BURNER ATTORNEYS Nov. 15, 1966 A. H. BURNER 3,285,163

SCREW PRESS AND SHREDDER APPARATUS Filed Nov. 12, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG-6 4 95 87 FIG-7 95 700 INVENTOR.

ANDRE H. BURNER 87' www ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,285,163 SCREW PRESS AND SHREDDER APPARATUS Andre H. Burner, Piqua, Ohio, assignor to The French Oil Mill Machinery Company, Piqua, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Nov. 12, 1964, Ser. No. 410,458 6 Claims. (Cl. 100-98) abandoned, and its continuation-in-part application Serial No. 296,843, now Patent No. 3,225,453, filed July 22, 1963, both of which are assigned to the assignee of this application. In said copending application it is explained that by removing a substantially great percentage of fluids from the latex material by mechanical expressing, coupled with tearing of the materials, it is possible to obtain a relatively porous, almost dried, crumb rubber which can readily be subjected to a drying operation in a conventional thermal drier to remove essentially all of the moisture in the latex material. As pointed out in said copending application, it is important to obtain a porous rubber product from the press so that moisture is not sealed into or encapsulated within the material. To this effect, it has been proposed to subject the material coming from the press to the action of a mechanical shredding device.

The present invention provides a novel shredder apparatus which is incorporated as part of the screw press, which preferably is driven therefrom, and which acts on the crumb material as it discharges from the press to tear the material into small pieces immediately and thus to avoid formation of the material into relatively large chunks which are more difficult to dry, and thus require a longer time in a thermal drier for complete drying. The action of the shredder is such as to tear the crumb material and thus tend to rupture any small pores or cavities which might remain in the crumb rubber as it issues from the press.

Accordingly, the primary object of this invention is to provide a novel shredder apparatus for use with screw presses.

Another object of the invention is to provide such shredder apparatus which is effective to tear material as it is discharged from the screw press by a simple rotary action.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a shredder which can readily be driven from the same power unit as the screw press, forming a compact and efficient unit, and making a convenient accessory to the press.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

In the drawings- FIG. 1 is a side elevational View, showing the shredder and the drive in its general relation to the screw press, and with the screw press cage shown in section to illustrate the arrangement of the screw flights `on the press shaft;

FIG. 2 is a detailed lview on an enlarged scale showing the discharge end of the press in section, together -ported in a bearing 35.

3,285,163 Patented Nov. 15, 1966 ICC with a portion of the shredder member and details of the power take-off drive for the shredder;

FIG. 3 is a detailed view on an enlarged scale of the shredder member per se;

FIG. 4 is a partial end view of the shredder member, looking at the ends `of its blades;

FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of the drive arrangement for the screw press and the shredder member;

FIG. 6 is a detailed view on an enlarged scale of the discharge end of the screw press showing a modification of the shredder member; and

FIG. 7 is an axial end view of the modified shredder member shown in FIG. 6.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, and particularly with reference to FIG. 1, the screw press includes a cage 10 of known construction, which may or may not be provided with relatively small drainage openings in its walls, depending upon its intended use. The requirements for such drainage openings, and the instances in which they are used, are explained in the aforementioned copending application. The press is provided with an inlet hopper 1.2, forming an inlet opening to the cage 10, and some means defining a discharge opening from the cage. In the illustrated example this is the discharge ring 14, which has a threaded connection 15 to a mounting ring 17 fastened to the end of the cage 10. A conventional worm and gear adjuster 18 may be provided to rotate ring 17 and thereby move it axially for adjustment of the size of the discharge orifice, as will be described.

Extending lengthwise of the press is the main drive shaft 20, and this shaft provides a mounting and a drive for a feed Worm 22, and a plurality of worm flight members 24 which are mounted in spaced relation thereon and are connected, as through a drive key (not shown), to be appropriately rotated by the shaft 20. In the preferred form of press, an interrupted flight arrangement is formed wherein the screw flights 24 are spaced apart by collars 25 carried on the shaft. One or more of these collars may be tapered, as in the case of the collars illustrated at 25a and 25b, to provide for a progressive decrease or reduction in the volumetric space between the screw flights 24 through which the material must pass between these collars and the cage walls. The screw flights force the material over these tapered collars and thus exert a substantial mechanical pressure on the material. It is to be understood, however, that other means may be provide-d for progressively reducing the volumetric space, as for example, by decreasing the pitch between successive screw flights or tapering the hub of the screw flights.

Surrounding the drive shaft in the area of It-he discharge ring 14 is a discharge collar or sleeve 27 which defines with such ring an annular discharge orifice 30 (FIG. 2) through which the material is discharged from the press. It is this orifice which may be adjusted by moving the lcone or ring 14 in or out, as desired. As is known in the art, the collars 25 and 25a have stationary a'butments or breaker lugs 32 mounted opposite them, extending inward from the cage walls, to inhibit rotation of the material being forced over such collars. Coaction of these lugs with the screw flights also provides a tearing or shredding action on crumb latex material passing through the press.

In the embodiment shown the power to drive the shaft 20 is applied from the discharge end. Hence, the outboard end of shaft 20, beyond the inlet hopper 12, i-s sup- A-t the discharge end of the shaft 20 is attached through a coupling 40 to `a drive shaft 42,

and this drive shaft in turn is connected through suitable reduction gearing to a drive motor 4S.

For purposes of explanation a drive arrangement is shown schematically in FIG. 5, wherein the motor 45 is shown as driving a pinion 47, and this pinion in turn drives a gear 48 xed t-o a lccrunter sha-ft 50. A gear Y 52 connected to the drive shaft 42 is in mesh with gear 48 and thus power is transferred to shaft 42 and thence through the coupling 40 to the main shaft of the press.

Preferably, the discharge sleeve 27 is connected to rotate with sha-ft 20, and this sleeve carries one or more shredding lugs 55. These lugs are intended to rotate within the discharge ring 14, as shown particulary in FIG. 2. `Outside this ring, and mounted to rotate on the shaft 20 is a shredder member 60. This member may be formed by complementary halves 60a and 60b connected by bolts 61 and in turn suitably attached to a skeleton supporting sleeve member 62. The shredder .member is provided with a plurality of cutter blades 65,

each blade preferably having an axially extending root por-tion 66 and a heli-cally arranged forward cutter portion 67. As will be explained more fully, the shredder member is preferably rotated counter to the direction of rotation of shaft 20 and of the lug or lugs 55, and the helical portion 67 of the cutter blades are preferably inclined toward the direction of rotation of the shredder member.

As shown particularly in FIGS. 2 and 5, the counter shaft 50 is also connected to a drive pulley 76 and this pulley is engaged with one or more drive belts 72, preferably V-belts, which pass over an idler puller 73 and over pulley grooves 75 formed in the sleeve member 62 .which carries the shredder member 60. As shown particularly in FIG. 2, this sleeve member is mounted on roller bearings 77 which extend around the coupling 40. Thus the sleeve member and shredder member are free to rotate with respect to that coupling and the shafts 20 and 42.

Wit-h this arrangement, as is apparent from the directional arrows on FIG. 5, the shredder member will rotate in the opposite direction from the main drive shaft 20. Thus t-he blades 65 and the lugs 55 rotate opposite to each other, preferably wti'h a small clearance space therebetween as shown at 80 in FIG. 2. The action between these parts is, therefore, more in the nature of a tearing or pulling of the material being discharged through Vthe orifice 30 and carried out between the counter-rotatdifferential can be attained by using appropriate sizes of pulleys and drive gears, as will .be apparent to those skilled in the art. In actual practice driving the shredder member 60 at three times the speed of the shaft 20 has been found to be effective.

Referring to another embodiment of the invention as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the shredder `member 85 is formed from complementary identical halves in a manne-r similar fto the shredder member 60 (FIG. 2) and the 'halves are joined together by the bolts 87. As shown in 'FIG. 6, the hub of the shredder member 85 has a frusto- [conical shaped port-ion 89 adjoining a cylindrical portion v90.

Around the peripheral leading ends of the cylindrical hub portion 90 are a series of recesses 92 which serve to relieve high pressure fluid which enters the clearance 'space between the shaft 20 and the inner cylindrical sur- 'face 94 of the shredder member 85.

vExtending axially from the conical shaped hub port-ion 89 and generally radially out from the cylindrical hub portion `are a series of blades 95 spaced uniformly around the periphery ofthe hub portions 89 and 90 and spirally inclined towards the direction of rotation. The forward ends of the blades are formed with a trailing surface 97 sloping in an axial direction away from the leading edge 99. It has been found desirable for extensive shredding to provide the leading edges 99 with a series of teeth or serrations 100 which, preferably, are V- shaped in con-figuration and are spaced radially along the leading edge 99 of the blades 95. It is desirable that the serrated ends of the blades are spaced substantially adjacent to the rear surface 102 of the several lugs 55 to de- -fine a small clearance 104 therebetween. Furthermore, as mentioned aib-ove, it is preferred that the shredder member 85 rotate -in a direction opposite to that of the sleeve 27 at a speed substantially greater so that an extensive tearing and shredding action is provided on the chunks of material discharged into the space between the lugs 55 and the serrated leading edges 99 of the blades 95.

The present invention thereby provides a novel shredder apparatus which can readily be incorporated into existing screw press structures, with a minimum addition of parts and with practically no change in the press structure of its drive. Power for the shredding apparatus is obtained from the drive of the press itself, and thus the present shredder apparatus can be fairly described as an attachment which is relatively easily added or removed, with a relative minimum of effort and time. The operation of the shredding apparatus has been found to be most effective in preventing the formation of large chunks of latex material bei-ng discharged from a press used to dewater these materials.

While the method and form of apparatus herein described constitute a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise method and form of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An improved screw press for expressing fluids from solid materials which tend to form int-o large chunks when subjected to mechanical pressure and adapted to shred the compacted chunks of material into smaller pieces at the discharge end of the press, said press comprising, a press cage, a rotatable shaft extending through said cage, first drive means for said shaft, screw flight means on said shaft arranged to convey material through said cage, means for progressively reducing the volumetric space between said flight means towards the discharge end of the press causing a compression of the material, ring means defining a discharge opening at one end of said cage through which said iiight means forces the material, a sleeve on said shaft and cooperating with said means defining said discharge opening to form an annular restricted discharge orifice of reduced area therebetween, means for adjusting said ring means axially to vary the size of said discharge orifices, lug means carried by said sleeve for rotation therewith, a shredder member mounted at the exterior of said cage and coaxially with said shaft, a plurality of blades on said shredder member extending towards said restricted orifice to receive material directly from said orifice, and second drive means connected to said shredder member for rotating said shredder member to sweep said blades past said lug means and thereby to shred the chunks of material discharged through said orifice into relatively small pieces.

2. An improved screw press for expressing iiuids from solid materials which tend to form large chunks when subjected to mechanical pressure and adapted to shred the compacted chunks of material into smaller pieces at the discharge end of the press, said press comprising, a press cage, a rotatable shaft extending through said cage, a series of interrupted screw flight means on said shaft arranged to convey material through said cage, stationary breaker lug means extending lbetween said fiight means to tear the material and to prevent it from rotating with said fiight means as a lug, means for progressively reducing the volumetric space between said fiight means towards the discharge end of the press causing a compression of the material, an adjustable discharge ring defining a discharge opening at one end of said cage through which said flight means forces the material, a sleeve on said shaft and cooperating with said ring to define an adjustable annular restricted discharge orifice of reduced area therebetween, a shredder member mounted at the exterior of said cage and coaxially with said shaft, a plurality of blades on said shredder member extending towards said restricted orifice to receive material directly from said orifice, lug means extending from said sleeve and spaced adjacent the ends of said blades, and drive means connected to said shredder member for -rotating said shredder member to sweep said blades past said lug means and thereby to shred the chunks of material discharged through said orifice into relatively small pieces.

3. An improved screw press for expressing fiuids from solid materials which tend to form into large chunks when subjected to mechanical pressure and adapted to shred the compacted chunks of material into smaller pieces at the discharge end of the press, said press comprising, a press cage, a rotatable shaft extending through said cage, screw ight means on said shaft arranged to convey material through said cage, means for progressively reducing the volumetric space between said flight means towards the discharge end of the press causing a compression of the material, an adjustable discharge ring defining -a discharge opening -at one end of said cage through which iiight means forces the material, a sleeve on said shaft and cooperating with said ring to define an adjustable annular restricted discharge orifice of reduced area therebetween, a shredder member mounted at the exterior of said cage and coaxially with said shaft, a plurality of blades on said shredder member and having serrated leading ends extending towards said restricted orifice, lug means extending from said sleeve and spaced substantially adjacent the serrated edges of said blades, and drive means connected to said shredder member for rotating said shredder member to sweep said blades past said lug means and thereby to shred the chunks of material discharged through said orifice into relatively small pieces.

4. An improved screw press for expressing fluids from solid materials which tend to form into large chunks when subjected to mechanical pressure and adapted to shred the compacted chunks of material into smaller pieces at the discharge end of the press, said press comprising, a press cage, a rotatable shaft extending through said cage, a series of interrupted screw flight means on said shaft arranged to convey material through said cage, stationary breaker lug means extending between said fiight means to tear the material and to prevent it from ring defining a discharge opening at one end of said cage through which said fiight means forces the material, a

sleeve on said shaft and cooperating with said ring to define an adjustable annular restricted discharge orifice of reduced area therebetween, a shredder membef mounted at the exterior of said cage and coaxially with said shaft, a plurality of blades on said shredder member and having serrated edges extending towards said restricted orifice, lug means extending from said sleeve and spaced substantially adjacent the ends of said blades, and drive means connected to said shredder member for rotating said shredder member in a direction opposite to the direction of said shaft to sweep said blades past said lug means and thereby to shred the material discharged through said orifice into relatively small pieces.

5. In a screw press for expressing fluids from material such as rubber which tends to -form into relatively large chunks when subjected to mechanical pressure, the combination of a cylindrical press cage having an inlet and means defining a discharge opening, a rotatable shaft extending through said cage and having a portion projecting outwardly from said discharge opening, screw fiight means on said shaft arranged to convey material through said cage, said cage and said screw fiight means being constructed and arranged to cause compression of material therein as it moves toward the discharge end of the cage, a sleeve on said shaft cooperating with said discharge opening means to define an annular restricted discharge orifice through which material is forced, a shredder mem-ber mounted at the exterior of said cage coaxially about said shaft portion, a plurality of blades on said shredder member extending toward said orifice to engage material issuing from said orifice, and a single drive unit connected to said portion of said shaft projecting from said discharge opening to rotate said shaft at a vone predetermined speed and also connected to said shredder member for rotating said shredder member at -a predetermined correlated higher speed than the speed of rotation of said shaft for sweeping said yblades past said orifice at a substantially faster speed than the material is forced therefrom to shred the chunks of material into relatively small pieces.

6. Apparatus as defined in claim 5 wherein Said drive unit is connected to rotate said shredder member and said shaft in opposite directions.

References Cited bythe Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,994,105 8/1961 Seal et al. 100-117 X 3,005,401 10/1961 French 100150 X 3,034,421 5/1962 Pence 100-98 X 3,076,610 2/1963 Rosenfeld et al. 100-117 X 3,086,452 4/1963 French 100-117 X 3,099,306 7/1963 Mladek 146-182 3,164,862 1/1965 Zies 146-192 X ROBERT C. RIORDON, Primary Examiner.

J. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, LESTER M. SWINGLE,

Examiners.

H. F. PEPPER, IR., Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN IMPROVED SCREW PRESS FOR EXPRESSING FLUIDS FROM SOLID MATERIALS WHICH TEND TO FORM INTO LARGE CHUNKS WHEN SUBJECTED TO MECHANICAL PRESSURE AND ADAPTED TO SHRED THE COMPACTED CHUNKS OF MATERIAL INTO SMALLER PIECES AT THE DISCHARGE END OF THE PRESS, SAID PRESS CONPRISING, A PRESS CAGE, A ROTATABLE SHAFT EXTENDING THROUGH SAID CAGE, FIRST DRIVE MEANS FOR SAID SHAFT, SCREW FLIGHT MEANS ON SAID SHAFT ARRANGED TO CONVEY MATERIAL THROUGH SAID CAGE, MEANS FOR PROGRESSIVELY REDUCING THE VOLUMETRIC SPACE BETWEEN SAID FLIGHT MEANS TOWARD THE DISCHARGE END OF THE PRESS CAUSING A COMPRESSION OF THE MATERIAL, RING MEANS DEFINING A DISCHARGE OPENING AT ONE END OF SAID CAGE THROUGH WHICH SAID FLIGHT MEANS FORCES THE MATERIAL, A SLEEVE ON SAID SHAFT AND COOPERATING WITH SAID MEANS DEFINING SAID DISCHARGE OPENING TO FORM AN ANNULAR RESTRICTED DISCHARGE ORIFICE OF REDUCED AREA THEREBETWEEN, MEANS FOR AJUSTING SAID RING MEANS AXIALLY TO VARY THE SIZE OF SAID DISCHARGE ORIFICES, LUG MEANS CARRIED BY SAID SLEEVE FOR ROTATION THEREWITH, A SHREDDER MEMBER MOUNTED AT THE EXTERIOR OF SAID CAGE AND COAXIALLY WITH SAID SHAFT, A PLURALITY OF BLADES ON SAID SHREDDER MEMBER EXTENDING TOWARDS SAID RESTRICTED ORIFICE TO RECEIVE MATERIAL DIRECTLY FROM SAID ORIFICE, AND SECOND DRIVE MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID SHREDDER MEMBER FOR ROTATING SAID SHREDDER MEMBER TO SWEEP SAID BLADES PAST SAID LUG MEANS AND THEREBY TO SHRED THE CHUNKS OF MATERIAL DISCHARGED THROUGH SAID ORIFICE INTO RELATIVELY SMALL PIECES. 